Various forms of clips for fastening different fuel injection system components together have heretofore been proposed. Certain clips are designed to be assembled to one of the components preparatory to assembling that component to the other; for example, certain clips assembled to a fuel injector are designed to allow the fuel injector to be fastened to a fuel rail socket, or cup, by simply pushing the clip-containing fuel injector into the socket. Other forms of fastening a fuel injector to a fuel rail socket embody catches that are integrally formed with a portion of the body of a fuel injector and that snap over a lip on a socket. Examples of the latter appear in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,557 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,738.
The present invention relates to a new and different fastening clip that is well-suited for integral formation with a portion of the body of a fuel injector and that provides convenient attachment and secure retention. Briefly, the disclosed embodiment of clip comprises a cylindrical wall that circumferentially bounds, and is spaced radially outwardly of, the fuel inlet tube and that has several circumferentially spaced apertures at which catches are disposed. Each catch extends from a circumferentially extending edge of the corresponding aperture radially inwardly and axially toward the body of the fuel injector to lodge behind a lip extending around the outside of the socket rim when attachment of the fuel injector to the socket has been completed. The circumferential span of each catch lies within the circumferential span of the aperture at which it is disposed. The catches flex as they pass over the socket lip during insertion of the fuel injector inlet tube into the socket. Once they have cleared the lip, the catches relax, lodging behind the lip to provide an interference therewith that prevents removal of the fuel injector from the socket. The catches are somewhat in the nature of deflectable barbs that allow relatively easy insertion of the fuel injector into the socket, but that strenuously resist removal of the fuel injector from the socket once they have passed the socket lip.
Details of the invention are disclosed in the following Description of a Preferred Embodiment which is accompanied by drawings. The drawings illustrate a presently preferred embodiment of the invention according to the best mode contemplated at this time for carrying out the invention.